Community Corner

Health Inspectors Hit Restaurants

Some Restaurants Are Making Big Money; Others Losing Big Money

As power begins to return to the region, food safety concerns are coming to the forefront.

Many homes and restaurants went without electricity for at least a few hours, raising the concern of spoilage for refrigerated food items.

“Our biggest concern right now is ensuring that food service establishments that lost power during the hurricane that are reopening meet sanitary standards,” said Steve Mansfield, Deputy Director at .

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Ledge Light Health District has sent six sanitarians out into the field to inspect more than 650 restaurants in the region. Many are in Waterford, where some restaurants are doing huge post-storm business, while others remain without power.

Restaurants

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Sherri Liu of the China House in Quaker Hill is in the latter category. Her restaurant has been without power since Sunday, and she had to throw away all the food.

“What can you do,” Liu said, who said she lost meat and all of her seafood.

Liu said she did not need health inspectors to tell her to throw away the food, as “we know it was bad.”

“If you gave it to somebody, they would never come back,” she joked.

On Tuesday, Liu drove up to Albany, N.Y., to find a generator. Wednesday, she had it going, saving at least some of the soda.

Cumberland Farms in Quaker Hill has been closed since Sunday because of lack of power. While nobody was there the two times Patch went, its dumpster told the story, as it was filled with perishable items, including full milk and orange juice cartons.

Meanwhile, Dunkin' Donuts has had lines pouring onto the road every morning since the storm hit. Owners of Supreme Pizza said it was slammed Monday evening, and eventually had to close because it ran out of food.

Evaluations

The restaurants are being evaluated by the sanitarians for food safety, including checking food temperatures and evaluating any flooding. The sanitarians will issue closure orders as necessary if a restaurant does not meet the minimum safety requirements.

“We’re prioritizing the establishments we’re inspecting based on level of risk,” said Mansfield.

For example, a long-term care facility that serves food to the elderly will be checked before a gas station that sells prepackaged food items.

Mansfield also warns people to be wary of the food in their refrigerators, especially if they experienced a power outage longer than four hours.

Any food that remains in the “danger zone” -- above 45 degrees for refrigerated foods – more than four hours is unsafe.

“Even if people have kept their refrigerator closed throughout the power outage, the food is still unsafe. If you have any doubt, it should be discarded,” he said.

Personal Tips

Food safety tips are available on the Ledge Light Health District website. Some of the tips include:

  • Be especially careful with eggs and egg products, milk and milk products, meat, fish, poultry and shellfish.  If you have any doubt concerning food items, they should be discarded – remember – when in doubt, throw it out!
  • A tightly shut refrigerator can keep the food at or below 45 ºF degrees for about 4 hours and a freezer can keep food frozen for up to 2 days (if fully stocked).
  • If there is a suspicion that your well may be contaminated (dug wells or drilled wells where the cap was partially or completely submerged), do not drink the water. You should have your water tested for contamination to ensure its safety.

Should you have any further questions or require assistance, call Ledge Light Health District at 860-448-4882 and ask for a sanitarian.

 


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